Cate Blanchett to head Cannes jury
Double Oscar-winner takes over role from Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodóvar
Two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett will be president of the jury at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, it has been announced.
"I am humbled by the privilege and responsibility of presiding over this year's jury,” the actor said in a statement. “This festival plays a pivotal role in bringing the world together to celebrate story; that strange and vital endeavour that all peoples share, understand and crave."
The Australian - who will be the 12th woman to lead the panel in the Festival's 71-year history - won the 2014 Oscar for best actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. A decade earlier, she was named best supporting actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, by Martin Scorsese.
Earlier his week she joined 300 other influential Hollywood women to launch the Time's Up initiative, higlighting the abuse of women in the film industry.
“We’re very pleased to welcome a rare and unique artist with talent and conviction,” Cannes president Pierre Lescure and delegate general Thierry Fremaux said in a statement on the festival's website. “Our conversations this autumn convince us she will be a committed president, and a passionate and generous spectator.”
Last year's president was Pedro Almodóvar, whose jury awarded the Palme d’or to The Square by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.
The 71st festival opens on Tuesday, May 8, and will run until Saturday, May 19.
